Today started off with a keynote from Joe Janes on Reference 2.0: Ain't What it Used to Be...And It Never Will Again. I have to say up front that Joe was very entertaining and informative. I am not sure I have ever laughed this much in a conference keynote. One of his main points was that we just cannot continue to do business the same way - year after year. Generations need to listen to one another and realize experience and fresh new ideas are all needed to move our libraries forward.
I went to a Cybertour on New Software for Quick Online Tutorials. I haven't had time to look at all of the sites that were shared - but there is definitely a use for screencasting in training design. He recommends Jing, Demofuse, and Screencast-o-Matic. The Jing Project is still in beta and has limited features. It is free but there are hosting fees. Demofuse has no software to download but it also has no audio - which in the demonstration really made a difference. Screencast-o-Matic also has free software but uses Java instead of Flash.
Meredith Farkas presented Five Weeks to a Social Library which is a project she helped design. This project was a web training over an extended time with a variety of attendees from all types of libraries. This was a great session demonstrating many options of Open Source Software and how to implement local education programs for librarians. She used Drupal, Mediawiki and blip.tv This project was structured so that each week a different type of social networking was shared and participants had to complete a hands-on project. The information was very peer driven.
Helene Blowers of Learning 2.0 fame, presented Lego Building: Learning Through Play. She shared 5 tips to be an information player: 1. Take 15 minutes a day to explore something new; 2. Subscribe to 5 blogs and read them; 3. Tag play items in del.icio.us so you can go back to them when you have time; 4. Create a learning blog to share ideas; and 5. Play!! Take time to learn.
Helene also really recommends using Animoto.com to jazz up presentations with music videos using your images. It seemed really easy to use - check it out!
I talked with WebFeat and Envisionware in the exhibits area. I must admit I am not a big fan of many federated searching tools - but WebFeat seems to have created an excellent product. I used their service several years ago and found it helpful, but a little lacking. The presentation I saw today shows they have really fine-tuned their search tools.
Since I heard from a couple presenters today that fun and play are important - I wanted to be obedient and visited the Monterey Aquarium. My favorite exhibit was the sea otters - there was one that the trainer stated just did her own thing when she felt like it - they couldn't get her to follow their rules...she might be me as an otter! I finished up the long day at the Farmer's Market with local dealers - what a great day. One more day and then back to Texas. Hmmmm, I hope I can continue my dedication to fun and play!
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